A genome-scale CRISPR Cas9 dropout screen identifies synthetically lethal targets in SRC-3 inhibited cancer cells

Commun Biol. 2021 Mar 25;4(1):399. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-01929-1.

Abstract

Steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3/NCoA3/AIB1), is a key regulator of gene transcription and it plays a central role in breast cancer (BC) tumorigenesis, making it a potential therapeutic target. Beyond its function as an important regulator of estrogen receptor transcriptional activity, SRC-3 also functions as a coactivator for a wide range of other transcription factors, suggesting SRC-3 inhibition can be beneficial in hormone-independent cancers as well. The recent discovery of a potent SRC-3 small molecule inhibitor, SI-2, enabled the further development of additional related compounds. SI-12 is an improved version of SI-2 that like SI-2 has anti-proliferative activity in various cancer types, including BC. Here, we sought to identify gene targets, that when inhibited in the presence of SI-12, would lead to enhanced BC cell cytotoxicity. We performed a genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screen in MCF-7 BC cells under conditions of pharmacological pressure with SI-12. A parallel screen was performed with an ER inhibitor, fulvestrant, to shed light on both common and distinct activities between SRC-3 and ERα inhibition. Bearing in mind the key role of SRC-3 in tumorigenesis of other types of cancer, we extended our study by validating potential hits identified from the MCF-7 screen in other cancer cell lines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • CRISPR-Cas Systems*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 3 / genetics*
  • Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 3 / metabolism

Substances

  • NCOA3 protein, human
  • Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 3